Introduction of digital radiology poses a sufficient challenge to hospital radiology, but also the orthopaedic department. This field describes a system and method-allowing surgeons to perform tasks of medical image analysis using manual tools using a computer based software. Specifically, the need for such a tool exists in the field of orthopaedic surgical procedures. Surgeons are still accustomed to planning treatment of bone fractures by using two-dimensional conventional x-ray images.
The common practice in planning treatment for orthopaedic trauma includes copying bone fragments (hereinafter ‘segments’) from x-ray images onto separate pieces of transparent paper. It is done twice in order to have copies of bone segments in two projections (AP and Lateral). The different fragments (e.g., segments) are aligned together and glued in the required positions to achieve an anatomic fracture reduction. Over the reduced patterns, the surgeon attempts to match the best available fixation devices and elements using templates of these devices and elements.
For joint arthroplasty, a template of the prosthesis, which is supplied by the manufacturer, is aligned to the X-Ray images of the patient. Once a correct position and angle are achieved, the template is glued to the film. This can only be used as a rough guide for the surgical procedure since the scaling of the X-Ray image is such that it is not always an exact reproduction of the bone segment and optimal positioning of the prosthesis may not be parallel to the viewed angle of the images.
The traditional technique, which is performed as described hereinabove by aligning templates to printed X-Ray films, suffers from several disadvantages:                The dimensioning may not be representative of the actual object-scaling varies from 110%-120% of real size, due to a distorting effect known as divergence, whereas templates are supplied in fixed size.        There is difficulty in saving or printing out the results in an organized and cost-effective manner.        The planning is time-consuming and complicated.        
Furthermore, introduction of advanced imaging techniques such as PACS systems will eliminate the handling of traditional X-Ray film from hospital centers. In such instances, the traditional pre-planning technique will require printout of X-Ray images on costly materials.
There is also another need that cannot be fulfilled using the traditional pre-planning technique, which is better control and education. It is common—for a chief surgeon to review and analyze procedures performed by his staff and explore multiple alternative treatments with his staff prior to the surgery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,092 to Williamson presents a computer-assisted system to help perform a hip replacement. The system allows the surgeon to interact with 3D models of the relevant bones to select an appropriate replacement strategy. No registration of the anatomical structures of interest is available; the immobilization of the anatomical structures renders the intra-operating room planning to be difficult, since no trial movements can be performed on the immobilized structures. Moreover, Williamson's system does not allow the visualization of transparent 3D models of the anatomical structures. U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,767 to Raab discloses a computer-aided surgery apparatus adapted to aid a medical practitioner in positioning a surgical instrument or implant when performing surgery on or examining portions of a patient. Pre-treatment and treatment coordinates are continually calculated with respect to a specially designed reference block attached to an electrogoniometer, wherein a mechanical linkage for maintaining the surgical tool in a fixed relationship with the reference block is required. Such machinations of the probing process create a system that is relatively cumbersome for the practitioner using a hand-held transducer. Moreover, difficulty is obtained with which a prior imaging plane can be recaptured for comparison purposes, a problem which becomes even more significant with the use of hand-held transducer.
It is thus the purpose of the present invention to offer digital templating for pre-planning of orthopedic surgical procedures. It is the purpose of the present invention to allow the surgeon to calibrate the images, plan how to reduce the fracture or align implants, and apply fixation, using an interactive and user-friendly system. Additionally, it is the purpose of the present invention to enable review of various therapeutic options and have a better opportunity to choose the best. Additionally, the present invention enables the possibility of communication with operating room inventory systems. The present invention also enables producing reports, which include final pre planning images of reduced and fixed fractures as well as inventory, and part list reports. The further aspect of the present invention enables communicating of all data to and from other database systems.